1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor products manufacturing, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for performing run-to-run control of a deposition process.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technology explosion in the manufacturing industry has resulted in many new and innovative manufacturing processes. Today""s manufacturing processes, particularly semiconductor manufacturing processes, call for a large number of important steps. These process steps are usually vital, and therefore, require a number of inputs that are generally fine-tuned to maintain proper manufacturing control.
The manufacture of semiconductor devices requires a number of discrete process steps to create a packaged semiconductor device from raw semiconductor material. The various processes, from the initial growth of the semiconductor material, the slicing of the semiconductor crystal into individual wafers, the fabrication stages (etching, doping, ion implanting, or the like), to the packaging and final testing of the completed device, are so different from one another and specialized that the processes may be performed in different manufacturing locations that contain different control schemes. Among the important aspects in semiconductor device manufacturing are deposition process, implant process, RTA control, chemical-mechanical (CMT) control, and overlay control. Deposition process is one of several important steps in manufacturing of semiconductor devices, such as semiconductor wafers. In particular, deposition of copper in semiconductor substrates is an important deposition process. Generally, minimization of errors in the deposition of copper layers is important to ensure that the multiple layers of the semiconductor devices are connected and functional. As technology facilitates smaller critical dimensions for semiconductor devices, the need for reducing deposition errors increases dramatically.
Generally, deposition process engineers currently analyze the deposition errors at certain intervals. The results from the analysis of the deposition errors are used to make updates to deposition tool settings manually. Technical personal who are responsible for overseeing manufacturing processes generally make modification to a process tool, load a process recipe into the process tool, and check control parameters that are defined by the process recipe. Generally, a manufacturing model is employed to control the manufacturing processes. Some of the problems associated with the current methods include the fact that the aforementioned steps can be compromised by errors that can occur in each of the steps. Furthermore, currently, the deposition tool updates are performed manually or semi-automatically. Many times, errors in semiconductor manufacturing are not organized and reported to quality control personal. Often, the manufacturing models themselves incur bias errors that could compromise manufacturing quality.
Generally, a set of processing steps is performed on a lot of wafers on a semiconductor manufacturing tool called a deposition process tool. The manufacturing tool communicates with a manufacturing framework or a network of processing modules. The manufacturing tool is generally connected to an equipment interface. The equipment interface is connected to a machine interface to which the stepper is connected, thereby facilitating communications between the tool and the manufacturing framework. The machine interface can generally be part of an advanced process control (APC) system. The APC system initiates a control script based upon a manufacturing model, which can be a software program that automatically retrieves the data needed to execute a manufacturing process. Often, semiconductor devices are staged through multiple manufacturing tools for multiple processes, generating data relating to the quality of the processed semiconductor devices. Many times, errors in semiconductor manufacturing are not organized and reported to quality control personal, which can result in reduced efficiency in manufacturing processes. Errors in manufacturing model, errors in the recipe, errors in the species of the process control script, or mismatch of recipe to process tool can cause poor manufacturing results.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems set forth above.
In one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for controlling a deposition process in a manufacturing process. A process recipe setting step is performed. A process run of semiconductor devices is performed based upon said process recipe. Metrology data relating to said process run of semiconductor devices is acquired. A determination is made whether production results are within a predetermined tolerance level, based upon said metrology data. Process recipe settings are modified in response to a determination that said production results are within a predetermined tolerance level, based upon said metrology data. Furthermore, the present invention is comprised of: a processing tool capable of receiving at least one control input parameter; a metrology data acquisition unit interfaced with said processing tool and capable of acquiring metrology data from said processing tool; a production data analysis unit interfaced with said metrology data acquisition unit and capable of analyzing said metrology data from said metrology data acquisition unit; and a control input parameter adjustment unit interfaced with said production data analysis unit and said processing tool and being capable of performing adjustments upon said control input parameter.
In another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for controlling a deposition process in a manufacturing process. The apparatus of the present invention comprises: a processing tool capable of receiving at least one control input parameter; a metrology data acquisition unit interfaced with said processing tool and capable of acquiring metrology data from said processing tool; a production data analysis unit interfaced with said metrology data acquisition unit and capable of analyzing said metrology data from said metrology data acquisition unit; and a control input parameter adjustment unit interfaced with said production data analysis unit and said processing tool and being capable of performing adjustments upon said control input parameter.